Ginga Monogatari Tsuyo
Ginga Monogatari Tsuyo is a prequel to Ginga Nagareboshi Gin and a side-story to Bear Hunter — Riki-gō. Main Plot Tsuyo is the son of Shiro, the strongest bearhound in Ohu and a descendant of the legendary Nazo, highly respected by both people and dogs in the village. He was born as the runt of his litter—the only dark red pup—and was much smaller than his siblings. A month after his birth, Shiro's owner Gohei Takeda showed up in a drunken stupor to collect one of Shiro's offspring for training as a bearhound. Due to his inebriated state, he overlooked the tiny runt and instead selected the two strongest puppies, a white puppy and a red puppy. The remainder of the litter found new homes save for the runt, who was slighted for his small and seemingly inferior stature. Feeling sorry for him, his mother Yamabuki's owner decides to keep him, naming him Tsuyo - a "big, strong" name. When Tsuyo was seven years old, Yamabuki's original owner asks for her dog back to keep her company through her last days. Unhappy with the forced seperation from his mother, Tsuyo attempts to run away from home and return to her side. However, he is spotted and attacked by Heiji's pack of stray dogs. Although he manages to escape from them, he falls into the river and nearly drowns. Luckily, he is rescued by Shiro, who feeds him and advises him to go home. After hearing Tsuyo's story, Shiro encourages him to become stronger and stand up for himself. Moved by Shiro's words and his display of power, Tsuyo returns to his owners and immediately starts to eat more, striving to get stronger. A month later, while attempting to visit his mother again, Tsuyo witnesses three-year-old Joshu Nakamura get knocked off the mountain highway by a truck. When the driver assumes Joshu is dead and speeds away to avoid taking responsibility, Tsuyo tries to call for help by howling from the top of a hill. However, Heiji and his pack find Joshu's location, and they attempt to kill him out of their hatred for humans. Determined to save the boy, Tsuyo rushes in and attacks the pack head-on. Despite being heavily outmatched, Tsuyo's bearhound instinct kicks in and he fights fearlessly, managing to badly injure Heiji and nearly kill one of his packmates. Before the fight can be settled, Takeda and Shiro show up, and a warning shot from Takeda's rifle sends the dogs scattering. Takeda realizes that Tsuyo has bearhound potential to rival the pups he had originally chosen, and Shiro proudly acknowledges Tsuyo as his son. From that point forward, Tsuyo is officially acknowledged as Shiro's son, his bravery in rescuing Joshu earning him the respect and love of the villagers. Heiji's pack gives him no further trouble, and he runs a hundred kilometers daily to visit his mother. Over time, he grows rapidly in size, becoming stronger and more powerful than ever. By the time Tsuyo turns fifteen, there has been an increase in the number and severity of bear attacks in the mountains. By now, the killer has been identified as Akakabuto, an adult male with a dorsal stripe of blood red fur. Along with three volunteers, Takeda and his entire pack of bearhounds set out for Mt. Kurikoma to track down and kill the dangerous bear before he can cause any further harm. Although he was left behind, Tsuyo is determined to follow his father and runs after the truck. Akakabuto proves to be a cunning adversary, luring the hunters into an ambush before picking them off easily. Soon, only Takeda and his dogs are left. Akakabuto lashes out at Takeda, striking him in the side of his head, and moves in on the dogs. At this moment, Tsuyo surprises the bear by jumping from higher ground and latching onto his head. Impressed by his son's courage, Shiro leads the other dogs to attack Akakabuto as well. The dogs are killed one by one, leaving only Shiro and Tsuyo. Regaining his rifle in time, Takeda avenges his dead dogs by opening fire on Akakabuto. The bullet pierces the bear's right eye and lodges in his brain, rendering him mad and more savage than ever. Shiro then knocks Akakabuto off a sheer drop in a deadly fall to the valley below, sacrificing his life to save his master and son. Unfortunately, Tsuyo can no longer think straight after the sudden emotional trauma of witnessing his father's death. In tears, Tsuyo yells for his father before leaping over the ledge in a desperate attempt to go after him, unable to process the fact that his father is gone. The bear, however, survived the fall and momentarily lays low to recover. Scarred and upset with the loss of Shiro, Takeda nurses a grudge against Akakabuto that causes him to obsess over bear hunts even as he enters old age. Riki, too, develops a hatred for Akakabuto after receiving news that the bear had killed not only his father, but his younger brother as well. He begins to train even harder than before, vowing to avenge them. Miraculously, Tsuyo has managed to survive his fall. Upon the confirmation that his father is dead, Tsuyo buries his body. Ashamed of himself for not being strong enough to fulfill his father's last wishes, Tsuyo silently leaves the area, never to be seen by the villagers again. Category:Manga